The Tree House
by Black Butterfly Wings
Summary: Anzu's gone missing, and Yugi's the only one who knows where to find her.


NOTE: Alright, let me make this clear: I hate Anzu with every fiber of my being. Don't ask me to explain why, I just do. Now, because of this evil little contest I'm in (Yes, that's right, I survived the first round!) I'm being forced to write a peachshipping fic. I _HATE_ peachshipping! But, since I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it well. Got it? Good. This fic is extremely heavily based on "Nobody's Home" by Avril. Oh yeah, there's cussing.

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will unless I by some miracal manage to take over the world and I take the rights from Kazuki Takahashi-Sama. Of couse, that isn't very likely, so I'll just continue to own it in my dreams.

Heavy footsteps in the rain, she kept running.

_I have to get away from there! I can't live like this anymore! _She thought to herself as she clutched her totebag tightly to her chest.

Her backpack was swaying from side to side on her back, but she didn't care. She knew it wouldn't break lose, this bag may be old and ragged, but it wouldn't break lose.

_Why do I always have to take the blame for everything? Why do they always have to blame me? It wasn't my fault!_

As fast as her tired, bruised legs would carry her, she kept running.

The rain continued to pour from the night sky. The drops were like icy bullets striking her flesh, but still she ran.

She knew that they'd be after her. She knew they wouldn't just let her run away. There was a chance she might really be happy if she escaped, and they would never want her to be happy.

_How can I call that prison a home? I should've left years ago! One day I should've just run off after school and never gone back to that hell hole!_

Her hair was soaked and clinging to her face. Her clothes were soaked, but she was glad about what she was wearing. ALthough she didn't like the fact that she looked like a hooker, she was very thankful that she blended in so well with the women working the corners at this hour of the night. It might help her a bit if they caught up with her.

_Why did I always have to act like everything was ok? Why didn't I just come out and tell everyone that I'm fake? That I'm plastic? I'm a fucking poser and they have no idea! They can't even tell that I'm not the cheerful person I pretend to be! How can I even call them my real friends when they can't even tell when I'm not ok!?_

_But... Where can I go?_

_No one loves me..._

_No one gives a shit about me..._

_But I can't just wander the streets all night! They'll catch me!_

She sought refudge from the rain in the subway tunnels. She borded a train headed out of town.

_I know where I can go... at least for now..._

Two hours later she left the safety of the subway tunnels and stepped back out into the rain. It was much colder than before, and she was beginning to loath her shorts, but she knew that they helped her blend in.

_I hate what I've become..._

_For now on, no more hiding my feelings! No more pretending to be something I'm not! I'm going to be myself for now on! If my 'friends' don't like it, then it just goes to prove that they aren't really my friends!_

_I doubt they're really my friends anyways..._

She wandered to a park on a hill. Quickly, she climbed up the biggest tree and hid inside a tree house that had been built for the children who played in the park.

Wrapping a blanket around her, she stared out the little window at the horizon, which was quickly turning a pale shade of pink as the sun began to rise behind the storm clouds.

_No one can find me here..._

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"Paging Yugi Motou! Yugi Motou report to the principal's office immediately!" a loud voice boomed over the intercom at school.

Yugi and his friends shot each other nervous glances before he trudged up to the office.

He knocked gently on the door.

"Come in!" demanded a strict voice.

"Y-yes Sir?" the boy gulped.

"Close the door and have a seat in front of my desk."

He quickly obeyed, breaking out in a nervous sweat as he did so.

"Anzu Gardner's parents called the school today. Apparently she's been missing since lastnight. Do you know anythign about this?"

"W-why w-would I know anything a-about it?" Yugi gulped, his mind racing as the sweat on his forehead thickened.

"According to her teachers, you're her closest friend."

"I-I am?"

"Yes, and if you know anything about her whereabouts, you need to tell me so we can locate her and take appropriate actions."

"A-appropriate actions!? What did she do?"

"She ran away from home, and her parents have informed me of why she ran. Any child who runs away must be punished."

Yugi sat silently for a moment, thinking about the entire conversation. Then finally, enraged, he stood up and glared directly into the principal's eyes.

"Did you ever think that maybe her parents are lying to you? Did you ever think that something really bad must've appened to make Anzu Gardner, one of this school's finest and brightest students to run away from home? Parents don't always tell the truth you know!

"Have you ever seen her come to school wearing thick makeup over her eyes? She's abused, we all know it. We never bring it up because she always avoids it. She tries to act like everything's ok and she continues on like she's fine! Even with all of the shit we've seen her go through, she's still in all the honor's classes and always finishes her homework on time!

"If she wants to run away from home then she damn well can! She deserves to seek refudge too ya know! After all she's done for me, for all of us! She deserves safety and support! Even if I knew where she was, I'd never tell you! You don't _deserve_ to know where she is!" Yugi screamed at the top of his lungs, his entire body shaking in his rage. He took off running out of the office and down the hallway.

"Where ya goin' Yug!?" Jou called after him.

"To find Anzu!" he yelled back before vanishing out the high school enterence.

The rain was cold and thick, but Yugi didn't care, he needed to find Anzu.

He ran down into the subway tunnels and borded one of the fastest trains out of town.

_Please let me be right! Please let me be right! Please let me be right!_

As soon as the train pulled into what he hoped was the right station, he bolted out and up the station steps and into the cold rain.

After several hours of searching, he found a park on a hill. He searched it thuroughly, all the while chanting "Please let me be right," under his breath.

Then, he spotted it. The little tree house in the biggest tree of the park. Suddenly, he could hear Anzu's voice in the back of his head saying, "When I was little we lived a couple hours away from Domino. There was this park I liked to play at, and whenever I was really sad I hid up in the tree house and cried."

He climbed up the tree as quickly as he could. Slipping into the small sanctuary, he saw her.

"Anzu!" he cried out, throwing his arms around her.

"Yugi! Wh-what are you doing here?" she gasped.

"I was called to the office at school... They said you ran away and they asked me if I knew where you were!"

"But, h-how _did_ you know where I was?"

Yugi pulled away from hugging Anzu and smiled in a bitter-sweet way at her. "A couple years ago you told me about a tree house you used to hide in..."

Anzu's eyes swelled with new tears. She threw her arms around Yugi and cried with relief.

"You should've come to me lastnight Anzu...I wouldn't have turned you away," he said comfortingly, wrapping his arms around her. "It's ok, cry as much as you want to."

"I thought no one cared about me!" she sobbed.

He slipped his hand under her chin and made her look up at him.

"Of course I care about you, I love you."

She cried like she had never cried before, but these tears weren't sorrowful.

_"Someone cares about me... Someone loves me..._" she thought to herself.


End file.
